Over the course of the past year, Casey Abrams has appeared in millions of living rooms across America, toured the country performing in some of the nationâs biggest venues and recorded music in London. But the cover of Abramsâ debut album shows the mountain community of Idyllwild is still his anchor.

The cover of the album was shot in the same Idyllwild amphitheater where Abrams took the photo for his senior page when he was a student at the Idyllwild Arts Academy.

âI remember standing on that same exact stage,â Abrams said in a recent telephone interview.

He said he shot somewhere around 40 photos of himself doing things like playing bass and playing hackey sack. When it came time to come up with a cover for his album, he remembered the amphitheater.

âWhy not go to the same place? Letâs put a little history into this album,â he said.

Abrams, who gained fame as the bearded offbeat contestant on season 10 of reality singing competition âAmerican Idol,â will release his self-titled debut album on Tuesday, June 26.

The 21-year-old multi-instrumentalist not only co-wrote most of the album, but also played a number of instruments, including the bass and the melodica, the keyboard meets horn instrument that first brought him attention during his audition for âAmerican Idol.â

The diverse collection has a mix of funky grooves, jazz and blues inspired ditties and singer-songwriter fare that go deeper into the breadth of Abramsâ talents that were America only had a glimpse of when he was one of the top 10 contestants on âIdol.â

The first song he wrote on the album was âSimple Life,â right after he finished the âIdolâ live arena tour. He was looking at his phone at a time and wanted to write a song about something real and have the bass in it.

âLetâs create a song, letâs create an album thatâs like walking through nature,â Abrams recollected.

That organic feel inspired Abrams musical journey that was also quite literalâ"taking the listener to far-flung locales such as the Philippines and London.

Thereâs even one that is the musical accompaniment for his hometown.

â âGreat Bright Morningââ"check that one out and imagine walking through Idyllwild,â he said.

In addition to singing, Abrams took on instruments including the electric and upright bass, drums, piano, keyboard, the recorder, tambourine and the instrument that set him apart during âIdolâ auditions.

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